Child abuse and neglect re-reports: Combining and comparing data from two national sources

a r t i c l e i n f o This study compared child-level estimates of child maltreatment re-report and recurrence in two national sets of data on child maltreatment: state administrative data submitted to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and caseworker interviews from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). Maltreatment data from NCANDS and NSCAW were merged for 2230 children that had intersecting information from both sets. The percentage of child cases with at least one re-report of abuse or neglect over the study period differed depending on the data set. The NCANDS re-report estimate was 32.3% (95% CI 26.5%, 38.6%) whereas the estimate based on NSCAW caseworker interviews was 22.9% (95% CI 17.6%, 29.2%). More than a quarter of the children with observations from the union of the two data sets had a re-report identified by one source but not the other (set difference). Most often, the set difference in re-reports appeared in NCANDS, but was not reported by an NSCAW caseworker. When the set difference from NCANDS was added to the re-reports by NSCAW caseworkers, the resulting union of re-reports increased the point estimate in the NSCAW–NCANDS intersection to 40.9% (95% CI 34.3%, 47.8%). Restricting the comparisons to only substantiated re-reports (recurrence) narrowed the differences in absolute terms but the set difference in recurrence rates was proportionally similar. Potential explanations for non-intersecting re-reports and recurrence between the two data sets were examined. Findings illuminate methodological challenges that may arise when child maltreat-ment re-report and recurrence data from administrative and survey sources are merged, and the value of the union of state-level administrative data with national survey data for studies of safety and well-being of children reported for maltreatment. Allegations of child abuse or neglect bring children and families to the attention of the child welfare system (CWS). In 2011, child protective services (CPS) agencies across the nation received an estimated 3.4 million such allegations or referrals. More than 2 million of the allegations were formally investigated or received an alternative response, and 18.5% of investigated reports were classified as substantiated (US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families, 2011). Substantiation refers to investigated reports that exceed state-specific, evidentiary thresholds for deciding whether or not the maltreatment actually occurred (also called indicated reports in some jurisdictions). Many children and families will have no further contact with …